Our Campus cutie this week is Paul Cuffe, a first year joint honours student, studying international relations and comparative literature. Paul is originally from South Carolina but its currently living in Jackson Beach Florida, which prompts the question that some might ask in why Paul choose to leave behind the sunshine coast of the Atlantic sea and make the four thousand mile journey to the erratic grey skies of the small coastal town of St Andrews? However Paul happily reveals how much he has enjoyed his first semester studying at St Andrews and especially his time living in St Salvators Hall.
Paul explained that the decision to come to St Andrews was prompted mostly by the desire to travel and have more off a unique university experience. It appears that coming to St Andrews has been a successful leap of faith for him, especially noting the fantastic opportunities to explore Europe better from a Scottish base. Paul has already taken advantage of the cheap air travel between here and the airports of Europe, having already visited the curiosities of Spain and Amsterdam and has plans to visit Morocco during Easter break. The opportunity to travel and diversity of students is a distinctiveness of St Andrews that Paul particularly appreciates, saying that studying at St Andrews provides an education with a more global perspective that perhaps he would off found if he had stayed to study in the States.
Along with travelling Paul is a dedicated tennis and volleyball player, committed to both sports St Andrews university teams. With practice and matches happening weekly I asked if it was at times stressful but Paul says it is notably a more relaxed lifestyle in comparison to the intensity of being part of a sports team in an American college. This difference is not the only noted as he acknowledges the cultural differences of studying in the U.K as opposed to the U.S. He explained that he missed the food and ‘convenience’ of home and in particular the open space as St Andrews is a little on the small side! Paul has clearly loved his first two semesters here and is looking forward to what St Andrews has to offer in the next three years.